Should you buy a microwave or an air fryer? In general, we say get both, and here’s why. Use the air fryer to create crunchy, healthy alternatives to baked and fried food. Utilize a microwave to quickly cook and warm moist foods.

We’ll explain where each of these appliances excels and why we believe they both belong in the kitchen based on our extensive use of them.

This article lets you know inside out these two pieces of equipment. In the post that follows, I’ll explain everything there is to know about microwaves and air fryers. Let’s check it out.

An Air Fryer – What is That?

The air fryer, which uses heated air to cook food, is a more potent convection oven that claims to mimic the results of deep-frying. The heating section, the fan system, the food chamber, and the switch panel are basically the four main components that they have.

An extremely hot temperature is radiated in large part by the heating mechanism. In order to circulate extremely hot air around the food chamber, the fan system above quickly creates an airflow to the heating mechanism.

How to Use An Air Fryer in the Right Ways?

Like other kitchen appliances, the air fryer has its guidelines to operate. You must comprehend how to use your air fryer properly because it has a variety of functions.

Put Your Food into the Food Chamber

The air fryer can hold approximately up to 10 quarts, depending on the capacity of each type. To ensure proper food ventilation, do not overcrowd the basket.

Before placing food into the basket, your air fryer needs to be preheated for a few minutes. A safe, well-ventilated area is where you should put your machine.

Set Up the Temperature and Time

Depending on the type of food, the temperature and time can be adjusted. The temperature can go up to 400^oF, and the duration is roughly 5 to 25 minutes.

To avoid burning food, carefully follow the instructions regarding timing and temperature.

Let Cooking

Simply turn on the air fryer in this step and let it work. You might also need to flip the food halfway through cooking in order to help it crisp up nicely.

Clean Afterwards

It’s critical to thoroughly clean the area after cooking. Every time you use the air fryer, make sure to carefully clean the removable parts like the basket and drawer.

Material Restriction

You should avoid using paper and plastic carriers to put into the air fryers. Paper will be reduced to dust and plastic will melt due to the heat. Your food will therefore absorb it.

Also Check: 20+ Instant Pot Air Fryer Recipes 2023 – Tasty & Delicious

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Air Fryers

There are many reasons to love air fryers. Air fryers cannot escape the fact that no machine is perfect at all in the interim. Here are the benefits and drawbacks of using an air fryer:

The Benefits

The popularity of air fryers can be attributed to numerous factors. Read through this to see how much you love it:

• Easy usage: The air fryer is for everyone. Professionalism is not required of you. For instructions on how to use it, simply read the attached manual.
• Safe usage: Due to the hot oil being exposed, the traditional frying method is hazardous. By using an air fryer instead of oil, you can avoid this problem.
• Versatility: Grill, steam, bake, and rotisserie are just a few of the cooking methods that one air fryer can perform.
• Compact: Your kitchen will be neater thanks to its space-saving design.
• Less time consumption: You occasionally need to defrost your food first. Nevertheless, you can do it while cooking with the aid of an air fryer.
• Healthy food making: Food that has been fried without oil may have less fat than usual.

The Drawbacks

There are also some limited sides of an air fryer you should take note of before getting one for your kitchen:

• Power consumption: More electricity is needed to run the large-capacity air fryer.
• Non-stick surface: This problem makes the cleaning process difficult because some ingredients get stuck into the basket.
• Annoying sound: The fan system can make a loud sound because it exerts so much effort to release a swift airflow.
• Limited capacity: Large families should not purchase small air fryers.
• Food flavor quality: To some, the food’s flavor won’t seem appetizing in any way.

Variants of Air Fryers

From the debut time until now, air fryers have developed into many kinds. However, basket-style, oven-style, and paddle-style air fryers are the three that are most widely available on the market. Every version has the same primary function and a few methods for satisfying customer demands.

A Basket-Type Air Fryer

The most well-known gadget is this air fryer. The removable basket helps you easily take it out to clean up after usage. Additionally, the basket has numerous holes underneath to evenly cook food.

An Oven-Type Air Fryer

Trays and racks are additional parts to the oven-type air fryer for more cooking functions like rotisserie, toasting, and baking. The amount of food is greater than other options that can feed large families.

A Paddle-Type Air Fryer

When you buy a paddle-type air fryer, you also have a rotatable mechanism. With this version, food can be automatically stirred while cooking.

What is a Microwave?

Microwave ovens use microwaves, a kind of electromagnetic energy related to radio waves, for cooking foods. The magnetron, producing microwaves, takes high voltage power supplied by the transformer and turns it into microwave energy to heat the food.

There are three ways that microwaves can cook foods; they can pass through the plastic, glass, paper materials, they are reflected by metals, and the foods absorb them.

Many microwaveable foods can reach a cooking temperature of approximately 212^oF. Microwave ovens can only be heated to this level.

Also Read: How Does A Microwave Oven Work – Complete Guide to Use It in 2023

How to Utilize a Microwave Oven?

When you want to preheat your food, a microwave oven is a quick way to cook. It’s possible that you won’t use it in a safe and efficient manner. To learn the specifics of how to operate your microwave oven properly, keep reading.

Set-Up Stage

The microwave’s position should be in the dry and flat areas. To ensure safety and ventilation, avoid placing it close to gas or electric lines. On the microwave’s top, keep hot items away.

Next to check is to secure the glass round tray and the roller ring. If they can’t spin easily, the food will spill out.

Cooking Process

Some kitchen accessories, like glass bowls and ceramic plates, are great food holders because these materials easily absorb the microwaves to heat the food.

You should use a technical plastic film for microwaves to cover the food so that it can prevent food from splattering. For a turntable that quickly heats food, place it in the middle.

In addition, 5-day old food items are impossible to microwave again. Because bacteria would now call it home, heating it would transfer them to the microwave, contaminating new items.

Maintenance

Cleaning process is always a must for using all kitchen devices. When cleaning the food case inside the microwave, use cleaning gel instead of water, wipe it down with a wet towel, and blot any food or dust residue.

Material Restriction

You can put these materials into microwave ovens: paper, silicone, ceramic, glass, and plastic. They can preserve food while enhancing the cooking process. So when someone asks you whether they can put their plate in your microwave, check it thoroughly.

If you are wondering whether you can place aluminum foil in your microwave, while the answer depends on different situations, it mainly is no. The same holds true for both wood and metal. It’s because these things will get burnt or melted during the cooking process.

Microwave Vs Air Fryer: the Differences

The primary difference, aside from the design, is the heating technique. The air fryer uses circulating hot air to heat and crisp food. The microwave uses electromagnetic radiation to heat food, and it is more effective with soft foods.

Air Fryer Cooking Method

In air fryers, the hot air is circulated around the food on all sides using heating elements and a fan.

Traditional fried foods like potatoes, fried chicken, popcorn shrimp, and other similar crispy foods taste great because the searing heat crisps the outside of the food.

Foods that would become soggy in a microwave can be crisped with the aid of an air fryer. A minimum amount of oil is also used. The air fryer can produce crispy food with just a spritz of cooking spray, unlike a traditional fryer that needs several inches of oil.

An internal heating coil is included in air fryers, and it heats up first.

After the coil has heated up, the air fryer’s internal fan activates, distributing the coil’s heat evenly across the food in the frying basket.

For food to become nicely crispy, an air fryer needs a lot of time to cook it.

Microwave Cooking Method

On the other hand, microwaves use electromagnetic radiation that has a microwave frequency range to heat and cook food. These microwaves vibrate the water molecules in the food, creating friction and heat. Moist foods work best for this.

Because they can typically heat moist foods in under a minute, microwaves excel in situations where speed is required. Something that might take 20 minutes to reheat in an air fryer will be hot in 60 seconds in a microwave.

However, bread tends to get tough, meat gets tough, and fried foods get soggy in the microwave. It is best to reheat these foods in an air fryer or toaster oven.

The Resemblances of Air Fryers and Microwaves

The two contemporary cooking appliances share some easily recognizable similarities in the first area. Keep reading to see what factors they are sharing.

Easy & Safe Usage

Simply place food into the devices, set the time and temperature for the foods, press start, and wait for the clock to notify you. This is all done with the help of switches.

Moreover, they use no oil (or less oil) for cooking, which helps you get away from oil-burning accidents. Additionally child-safe is the closed design.

Health Aspect

Microwaves and air fryers produce significantly healthier cooking outcomes than conventional ovens. Two appliances dehydrate food so that it can be cooked without the use of oil, preventing illnesses linked to using too much oil.

The Distinctions Between Air Fryers and Microwaves

Going together with the similarities, numerous noticeable differences occur between two popular kitchen gadgets. You should take notes carefully to learn more about them.

Cooking Technique

Air fryers have a heating coil that warms up initially. After the coil releases the heat, the fan system begins to whirl to make a rapid airflow, circulating that heat around the basket to fry food.

However, inside a microwave oven, an electron tube known as a magnetron generates microwaves – or electromagnetic radiation.

Microwaves are reflected inside the oven’s metal interior, where the food will absorb them. Then, they force the water molecules in the food to vibrate, which produces heat to cook the food.

Design

The air fryers come out in 3 shapes: cylindrical air fryers, oven-type air fryers, and paddle-type air fryers. Meanwhile, the microwaves are only rectangular shapes.

When you compare an air fryer to a microwave oven, it is apparent that the air fryer is more lightweight and compact than the microwave oven. But it does not offer the same level of cooking power as a microwave.

Versatility

With a microwave, you can cook a variety of foods. However, the majority of food types, including bacon, chicken, steaks, crab cakes, tofu, potato wedges, etc., will cook best in an air fryer.

The microwave, in some cases, is excellent at boiling soups and liquid-base foods. It would be wasteful of energy to prepare these foods in air fryers.

Time Consumption

The microwave consumes less time to cook than air fryers. Food can be fully warmed in the microwave in a matter of seconds to minutes. In reverse, the air fryer takes more than 15 minutes.

An air fryer may need 15 to 20 minutes to cook chicken wings, for example. The same foods will cook quickly in microwaves, finishing in 3 to 4 minutes.

Power Consumption

Some air fryers (like Ultrean Air Fryers) use up to 1700 watts for a long cooking period, so air fryers are more energy-efficient than microwaves. There is no standby mode, and you can adjust the time and temperature on air fryers.

For roughly 30 minutes of cooking time, a microwave uses 1200 watts. The microwaves will also use a tiny amount of energy, ranging from 2 to 7 watts, when they are in standby or reheat mode.

Cooking Temperature

On the one hand, the cooking temperature could reach more than 400^oF to air fry food. The temperature will differ depending on the food you’re cooking.

On the other hand, most microwaveable meals may attain a maximum temperature of roughly 212^oF. Microwave ovens can only heat food to this level.

Capacity & Size

Microwaves have a larger capacity than air fryers. The air fryer has a smaller food case while the microwave can cook a larger batch of food. A microwave can hold 45 liters of food on average. The maximum capacity for air fryers, however, is 5 liters.

Depending on the version, the microwave’s exterior is larger. As a result, wide kitchens can use it. The air fryer would fit in small kitchens because of its lightweight size, which makes it easier to move and place than the microwave.

Food Results

Air fryer requires more time to cook food, but the final result is a crispy and flavorful dish that would make you desire more. Microwave oven, in contrast, cooks food faster than air fryers, yet the meal is a bit soggy.

Air fryers outperform microwaves in terms of repurposing more nutrients for food. As a result, the food is always healthy after cooking because they use so little oil.

But a small amount of oil is still needed for microwaves. Also, cooking food in microwaves may increase acrylamide, affecting nutrient content in food.

Cleaning & Maintenance

The air fryer requires a cleanup after use to make sure the accessories are well-cleaned for later use, while the microwave just needs cleaning after a few days’ use.

Due to their compact size, air fryers are easy to clean. Additionally, since the fan and heating element are guaranteed to last for years, you don’t need to frequently check their lifespan.

However, microwaves are more difficult to clean. It is flammable, so you can’t clean it with strong chemicals, so cleaning the large food case takes a lot of work.

Microwaves only have a turntable that can be removed from the unit. Because of this, it is difficult to remove all the dirt without reaching deep into the food case.

After cleanup, it is important to wipe the excess water thoroughly in the microwave. On the surface of the interior of the oven, food leftovers might be stuck. If you don’t thoroughly clean it, it will absorb heat from other meals you cook, potentially damaging your microwave.

The turntable and light bulbs also require frequent maintenance. You must purchase replacements if required.

Which is Better: Microwave Or Air Fryer?

It’s worthwhile, in our opinion, to purchase an air fryer in addition to your microwave rather than in place of it. You’ll be let down if your plan is to use an air fryer in place of the microwave because it really isn’t comparable in any way.

Even though air fryers typically take a while to cook food, the end result is a flavorful, crispy meal that will have you craving more.

Microwaves cook food a lot faster than air fryers, but really only shine when cooking moist foods.

Considering that each device introduces a different technology for cooking, it makes sense that they have unique pros and cons. Each appliance does an excellent job of cooking different foods, making it beneficial to own both.

Air Fryer Vs. Microwave: Which is More Efficient?

Air fryers take a long time to reach the ideal temperature for cooking, as opposed to microwaves.

Models for microwaves and air fryers range in power from 1,200 to 1,500 watts.

Depending on how long they run, different amounts of energy are used. Unlike air fryers, which operate for between 20 and 40 minutes, microwaves typically run for only a few minutes.

Food can be effectively heated in microwave. Foods cooked in an air fryer have a crisp, fried texture that a microwave simply cannot match. Air fryers can’t compare to microwaves in terms of capacity.

Consequently, the microwave cooks food much more effectively than an air fryer.

The microwave’s standby mode is yet another thing to think about. Many microwaves have an LCD time display, whereas an air fryer uses no energy when it’s off.

An average of 2 to 7 watts will be used by this display every day. That adds up to about 2 cents in electricity per day; not worth including in the cost of running the microwave.

FAQs

I recognize that you have a lot more inquiries about these two cooking appliances. Check this section to answer your questions.